Quiet Reverence
by Wrath of an Aerow
Summary: Juliet is a young girl who was abandoned in a corn field and found by Ironhide after an investigation dealing with murder. Will the Autobots approve of Ironhide and Will's covet? Or will the humans take her away?  A few months after TF2 Not MarySue
1. Chapter 1

_A/N – I do not own transformers, I only own my OC's, the plot, and the story. _

_**Summary: **__Juliet is a young girl who was abandoned in a corn field and found by Ironhide after an investigation dealing with murder. Will the Autobots approve of Ironhide and Will's covet? Or will the humans take her away?_

_**Rating: **__"T" but it may bump up to "M". This story contains foul language, gore, and possible sexual themes (but it is unlikely)._

_**Warnings: **__My character is not a Mary-sue; she is not related to any of the Transformer characters, except for Will and Ironhide, and you'll see why. No, there is no slash. Juliet is a normal human girl, so she doesn't have any powers or bonding with the Allspark and such. And since I don't really know Sarah's personality, you will see what I do with her later this chapter. Yes, Annabelle will be in this story. Also, if I make any typos or you think I have too many run-on sentences, please let me know. No flames or harsh reviews, please._

_Enjoy._

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><p><strong>Quiet Reverence<strong>

_Chapter one_

_**Written by Wrath of an Aerow**_

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><p>Juliet Everett couldn't gather in her mind on what was happening, since so many unrealistic scenarios played all together at once.<p>

She had woken up to a glass-shattering scream. The kind you really only heard in horror films, and Juliet could feel her heart stop when her soft blue eyes flicked open. For a moment, she couldn't remember where she was, saying that she had just woken from a dream. Her slim fingers curled around her blanket as she stared at the ceiling. She was safe and inside her room, the tick of the clock on her wall the only sound penetrating her eardrums. It had been a dream, and she tried to reassure herself that it was. After her heart rate started to calm down, a very loud shattering of glass fell in the hallway beyond her door, causing the six year old to shoot up in her bed. Her soft blue eyes were wide and her thin frame shaking slightly.

Making up her mind and curiosity catching the cat, she slowly and warily climbed out of her bed. Her bare feet touched the white carpet, which would hopefully muffle her footsteps if they needed to be. Juliet wore a simple baggy white shirt and short black exercise shorts. Her black hair was long and smooth, parting in the middle of her forehead and cascading down to the end of her ribcage. Juliet had tan skin, and she either originated from older Indian tribes or Mexico; it wasn't certain to really anybody. She was slim and a little short for her age, but that came in handy for sneaking; and that's what she was doing now.

The six year old carefully put her slim fingers around the silver knob and slowly opened the door, looking into the dimly lit hallway. She saw one of the few glass vases that her mother liked to put lilies in shattered all over the floor. Juliet popped her head out of her room and examined around, seeing what she thought was nothing. Seeing that the coast was clear, she stepped out of her room fully and started to venture down the hall that did not have glass thrown astray on its wooden flooring. Her thin arms crossed over her torso in slight nervousness and could feel a cold, dead presence fitting itself on her shoulders.

As she rounded another corner, she stopped dead in her tracks.

A man dressed all in black was rummaging through a vanity at the end of the hallway.

Knowing immediately that this wasn't and couldn't be her mother nor her father, she slowly tried to hide behind the corner so she wouldn't be spotted. But it was too late. The mad dressed all in black looked up for a split second and saw the Indian-colored girl at the corner and whipped around. He looked completely shocked; as if he wasn't aware that a little girl was in the house as well.

The man said nothing, but Juliet could tell he wasn't a nice man, and he wasn't supposed to be here.

Making up a decision on a dime, she turned tail and ran as fast as her legs could take her down the hall. Forgetting of the glass, she ran over it, yelped, and slipped. A sharp pain was coming from her feet and she saw blood starting to make little vine-like patterns down the creases of her foot.

The stranger rounded the corner as well, and saw the little six year old on the ground, tears forming in her eyes. He easily walked through the glass; the shards crunching beneath his combat boots. The man then kneeled down, his elbows resting on his knees.

"You alright, kido?" the man asked, trying to seem as if nothing wrong had happen.

Juliet said nothing as she sat up and scooted herself to the wall opposite of the stranger.

The man sighed, he had an unlit cigarette in the corner of his mouth. "Look, little girl, I've got to go, and your father wants you to come with me. So if you'd come with me, I can take you somewhere safe."

It was obvious to the man that he was lying, but what else was he supposed to do with a little girl? Tell her that she was going to be abducted? No, that'd cause even more trouble, and the cops were already bound to be on their way by now since the alarm system had long since told him that the local authorities were on the way.

Without her consent, he made a grab for her and slung her easily over his shoulder, and she simply screamed. She banged her fists against his back and shrieked. "Mommy! Mommy! MOMMY!"

The man said nothing, but he tightened his grip around the squirming girl so she wouldn't fall.

"MOMMY!" she screamed, tears running down her cheeks.

The man had to shut this girl up, but then realized that they lived on a farm, and the nearest house was about a mile or so away. He'd be just fine. Quickly cantering down the wooden stairs (being careful not to slip), he scooped up a black bag at the base of the stairs and hurried out of the home with the screaming girl.

Once outside and about fifteen feet away, the stranger sat Juliet down on the wet, dewy grass and sauntered back to the two story farm house. Juliet saw a light coming from his hand that immediately struck her as fire. Before she could say anything, before any more tears could waterfall down her cheeks, the man went to the wide open door and flung three matches in the house. Juliet didn't see it happen, but he had poured gasoline on both floors of the house, and the fire was crawling all over the wooden floors and up the furniture. The fire licked at the rails at the staircase and engulfed the plants her mother took care of so frequently.

Suddenly, Juliet had no idea what to do, and she just sat there, the fire inside reflecting in her soft blue eyes that were still watery.

The burglar then came back, smiling triumphantly and then looked down at the girl. "You don't tell no one about this, do you understand?"

She didn't reply to his inquiry, but she brought up a topic that was nagging her brain the most; "My mommy and daddy are in there!"

He shook his head, "No, no their not-"

"Yes they are! They're sleeping! We've got to go wake them up!" she yelled.

His jaw tightened, "Come with me, you little brat."

Before she could flinch away or even move, he seized her by the forearm and yanked her to her feet. His grip was tight, and it hurt her arm, and she tried to pry his fingers off of her, but she couldn't. The stranger dragged her into the corn field at the back of the house, seeing red and white flashing lights in the distance.

"Shit!" he cursed loudly and rand into the corn field with her. Approximately fifteen seconds later, he pushed her to the ground and fled back to the entrance to the field to get a close look to where the cops would be.

Juliet's feet stung and ached uncontrollably and she screamed, "HELP!"

Suddenly, a gunshot was fired and her heart stopped. Not even five seconds later, more shots aroused and then finally ceased.

Feeling as though the horrible sounds had stopped for good, she again yelled as loud as she could: "HELP! MOMMY! DADDY!"

"Ironhide! Go to the cornfield! I think there's a survivor!" shouted a muffled voice.

"Will-do," said another one, but this one was deeper and gruffer.

Juliet shivered as a breeze caressed the back of her neck and hugged her knees to her chest, careful not to rub anything against her screaming foot.

A few moments later, she heard loud, wide-spread footsteps getting closer and closer to where she resided.

Then, out of the blue, two bright blue lights looked down at her from at least twenty or so feet in the air. Juliet could dimly make out some of the silver in his armor, but otherwise, she couldn't see much of anything.

The entity examined the little girl and turned his head, "Will! Get your aft over here!" He then looked back at the little girl and knelt down slowly. She shied away just a little bit, but despite its massive build, she had a feeling it didn't want to harm her like the man did.

The owner of those bright blue, mechanical eyes then asked softly in his gruff, hardened voice: "Are you all right, little one?" He could see some traces of blood on her feet and her elbow, but she didn't show she was in pain; just sad and confused.

Without saying a word, Juliet shook her head, some of her pitch-black hair hanging in her eyes.

"Can you tell me what is wrong?" he asked again, being patient.

Blinking, she looked up. "My mommy and daddy are in the house, where the man set it on fire…."

His optics flicked for a moment, as if blinking. Then, an all-new man shoved through the corn stalk. His gaze fell on Juliet, and he looked completely shocked. He had black, spiked hair and slightly sun-burnt skin with pale blue eyes. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt and jeans with hiking boots. "Dear God…" he murmured and slowly walked to the little girl.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he saw a silvery tear crawl down her cheek. This girl had to only five or six…why was she out in the corn all alone? Since his eyesight was as perfect as his guardians', he didn't see the blood on her foot, but could make out her face and frame from Ironhide's optic light.

"Where's my mom and dad?" she choked to the man.

He came over and rested on one knee, "We can talk about that later, sweetheart. Can you tell me your name?"

After a few seconds, she whispered, "Juliet."

"It's very nice to meet you, Juliet, my name's Will. Well, Juliet, are you willing to come with my friend and I? I promise, we won't hurt you and we can talk about your parents when we get where we're going." After Juliet nodded, Will nodded up to his friend. "This is Ironhide; he'll take you out of here. I have to get going and help the others, okay?"

She nodded and Will came over and scooped up the little girl. Ironhide laid out his giant servo and sat Juliet in his palm. Ironhide carefully curled his digits around her so she wouldn't fall, and raised her up from Will Lennox's level and up twenty feet in the air. The Autobot stood a tall twenty-six human feet tall, and Juliet saw how far she was from the ground. Sure, she felt a little worried that she was high up in the air with a robot-like being holding her, but that was the least of her worries.

All that Juliet wanted was to get her parents out of the house.

She looked over and saw people throwing buckets of water and hoses were running into the house, spraying down the flames. A few men were running into the house with yellow suits.

"It'll be okay," Ironhide suddenly said, making Juliet jump slightly. She grabbed his thumb and looked up at him. Since the fire's orange hue casted a long glow, she could see more of Ironhide's face. Juliet inwardly noted that he had a squashed nose.

She sniffed, "Are the people in yellow suits going to help my mom and dad?"

He nodded, though he himself was not sure, since they had not reacted to the flames nor were they aware to this human sparkling out by herself. "Yes. I'm sure of it. Now, little one, how did you get out here?"

He began to walk slowly, so he wouldn't drop her, but Juliet wrapped her arms around Ironhide's metallic thumb in comfort. Her slim legs hung off the side of his palm and she looked up, blue eyes meeting bright, glowing blue optics. "The man took me out here, after he set my house on fire."

_Fragger_, he cringed his free servo, and tried to look calm. "We've taken care of the man, Juliet; he's not going to harm you again."

"I don't understand," she started, "Why was he in our house?"

Ironhide sighed, "I am not sure, little one. Come on, let's get that glass out of your feet."

Juliet nodded, and still kept hold of his thumb. Ironhide would admit, and so would Will, that he was a big softie for sparklings, though the same could not be said to his comrades nor any other humans for that matter. The only humans Ironhide admitted he liked was the Lennox family (which was obvious), Robert Epps, and Samuel Witwicky. He took interest in the Lennox's daughter, Annabelle, and thought of her like a close niece, and she took Ironhide as an Uncle. This girl in Ironhide's palm reminded him of Annabelle in the slightest; innocent, short, slim, and looked to be a happy, hyper child when not scared out of her skin. The saddest thing was that after Will got back from Mission city and Sarah was introduced to the Autobots, the stress was too much to handle. She didn't want a husband of hers to be gone five days of the week, possibly staying the night, and who could be called in at any time. They both had custody of Annabelle, but Sarah had the extra day. Will and Sarah kept in touch and as friends, but it would never be the same.

As the duo got out of the corn field, they walked to the series of cop cars and the one fire truck. Will Lennox was talking to a rather pudgy mad with a toothbrush moustache and had a blue shirt with black slacks on. Will crossed his arms, bit his lip, and looked down. The officer simply nodded, though he looked as though he were on the verge of being sad as well, and put his hands on his hips.

"What are we going to do with the little girl though?" asked Will, his pale blue eyes looking into the officers' brown ones.

"Not sure," he remarked honestly. "I've known this family since the little one was just born, and her father was in the force with yours truly. I know they don't have any other family in these parts, as a matter o' factly, they live all the way in Idaho, though I'm not sure where." The officer shrugged. "I just don't know what to do, Lennox. I do appreciate you comin' down here with your alien buddy n' all-"

"I only came because they're neighbors, and I'm in the army," stated Will. "We need to figure out what we're doing with Juliet. If we can't find anybody to take her, than I will."

The officer looked somewhat surprised, "Ya barely know her, Lennox-"

"Wouldn't you want someone to take in your child?" Lennox spat back, fatherly instincts taking in. The officer put his hands up in defense.

"Yes," he finally said after a moment, "I would want someone to take my son if I had died…but what if she doesn't like it?"

William shrugged, "At least she'll be in a house and not a corn field."

Again, the officer sighed, "D'you plan on takin' her to the…you know…" he leaned closer to Will, "the Autobot base?"

Yes, the officer, whose name is actually Thomas Baker, has also known of the Autobots, and he goes there rarely, though he gets along fine with most of the Autobots. He came into the picture because he was chief of the police department, and he helped fight the Decepticons in Mission City alongside Robert Epps; who is a good friend of his. He too was in the army.

Will shrugged once more, "If I end up keeping her and she likes it at the farm, I probably will."

Baker scratched the back of his head, "Just be wary of that Galloway fella, Will. He gives me the creeps."

"I know, it's about time for the twins to pull another prank on him. And ever since his mother passed, he's even been more demanding," Will rolled his eyes.

"Was she just as bad as Galloway?" Baker joked.

"Well, you could say that. She nagged at Jolt for a scratch on his headlight, the weirdo."

"Y'know as they say," started Baker, shrugging, "If there's somethin' wrong with the bitch, there's bound to be something wrong with the pup."

Will chuckled for the first time tonight, "Lay off the Harry Potter, Tom. Magic gets to your head."

Ironhide, unlike Juliet, could hear everything that the two men were discussing, and a little spark of hope ignited his spark. At least the child would not be alone. He was thankful that Will was such a nice man, despite his hard, long-hour work days.

Ironhide didn't set the human sparkling down, because he could tell the shards of glass in her foot were painful when stepped on. Will finally noticed that Ironhide was standing a little ways off and then excused himself from the conversation. Baker said one more thing as Will sauntered off towards Ironhide. The Autobot kneeled down and hovered his servo just above the dirt. Will sighed and gave Juliet a servo.

"Would you say yes if you came home with me to stay the night, Juliet?" asked the Major, his hands on his knees.

"Did mommy say yes?" she asked. Her arms were still around Ironhide's thumb and her feet dangling just above the dirt.

For a split second, Will's eyes flicked to Ironhide's optics, but then back at Juliet in an instant. "Yes," he started, "your mommy said yes."

After a moment, she nodded. "Will? Are you a friend of daddy's? He works with Mister Baker over there," she pointed to Baker.

"You could say that," he smiled casually, "I live right over the hill over there." Will pointed down the street. Juliet looked behind her to where Will was pointing.

"You do?"

"Yep," he nodded.

Ironhide then spoke. "I'd hate to be the bearer of bad news, William, but I think we should get her to a medic."

Just when he said that, Will saw her feet and a little bit of her elbow, still bleeding but not as bad as before.

Making up his mind, Will said, "Let's get Ratchet then."

"Don't you think it's a little early for that?" asked Ironhide, his optic brows narrowing in the slightest.

Will sighed and gave him a look. A look that meant 'holoform, genius'. Ironhide finally got it and rose two fingers up to the side of his head, and began talking in a language that Juliet didn't know. After a few minutes, Ironhide began:

"Ratchet said he'll be at the house in fifteen minutes. Come on, let's head back to the farm."

Will nodded and picked up Juliet from Ironhide's servo. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. A sound of clicks, whizzing, whirling, rotating, and clanking penetrated her eardrums, causing her to turn around to see that Ironhide was gone and she saw the last of the truck transforming. The passenger door opening, Will walked towards it and got in. Before he closed the door, Juliet could see two stretchers with black bags wrapped around long bodies. She didn't know what it meant…

But at least the fear had vanished.


	2. Chapter 2

**Quiet Reverence**

_Chapter two_

_**Written by Wrath of an Aerow**_

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><p>The ride to the Lennox farm was very quick and quiet. Juliet found herself staring out at the passing field while she sat on Will's lap. She didn't know what were in the bags on the rolling stretchers, but something nagged at her brain that she didn't want or need to know, and what she needed to worry about was the now. She was heading to the Lennox house, to where she'd be staying the night because her mother had told Will to do it.<p>

Ironhide did not turn the radio on, nor did Will say anything as his hand circled around her arm protectively, but loosely. The Major felt sorry for this little girl, who had just lost her mother and father to a hands of a burglar, who set their house on fire after killing the couple. He then forced Juliet into the corn field, and left her there. The culprit pulled a gun on an officer, and when he shot, the bullet missed, and a few nearby cops had shot him down. Will didn't know if the criminal killed Juliet's parents in front of her eyes, but from what she had been saying, he probably had not. Therefore, that meant that he wasn't aware of a child in the house.

Juliet eased back and laid against Will's chest, yawning. It was, in fact, twelve-forty seven at night; the little one should've been tired.

The only reason Will caught news of his neighbors situation was because Thomas baker, the head chief in the force, had called him up and asked for assistance if needed, and Will accepted without hesitation. It was what he was trained for.

As Ironhide rolled up the dirt path to the Lennox farm, he stopped just a few feet from the porch so Will could get Juliet inside easily. Setting the six year old on the seat beside him, Will Lennox hopped out of Ironhide and scooped up Juliet. "You can come in if you'd like, 'Hide," offered the soldier. "Just make sure you're in your holoform; I live here, you know."

Ironhide grumbled about something and shut the passenger door. Then, the Autobot went into stasis. Suddenly, Juliet saw something flicker inside of Ironhide's cabin and open the driver's side door, hop out, and shut the door. Walking in front of the now turned off headlights, she saw that a man with tan skin and scars decorating his skin was approaching the duo. He had short-cut pitch black hair and bright blue eyes that seemed to pierce through the dark. He wore a leather jacket with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows with a white muscle shirt underneath, also having nice-fitting denim jeans and combat boots.

Juliet blinked a few times, and the new man half-smiled at Juliet. He came over and ruffled her hair slightly and Will took her inside.

Setting the six year old on the long, circular couch, he asked if he could get a closer look at her foot, and she agreed. Looking at her foot, Will could see that a few fairly-large pieces were stuck in her foot and scratches littered them. He could tell some must have fallen loose once she was in the corn field, since a lot of glass looked to be missing. He pursed his lips to the side, and decided Ratchet could get the glass out easily, and if all else failed, Will could find a way to get that crap out of her foot. But he trusted Ratchet and he knew if he could fix a beaten-up Ironhide, he could take glass out of a youngling's foot.

While waiting for Ratchet, Will told Ironhide to get a wet washcloth and Will went to get a band-aid for her elbow. Once cleaned, Will put a simple, tan band-aid on her elbow and pretended to smile like he made the biggest, awesomest creation in the world.

"There you go, all better. Do you need anything else?"

Juliet shook her head, "No…but when is the glass going to come out of my feet? It stings," she winced after flexing her toes.

This time, Ironhide replied, who was leaning on the side of the doorway, apparently watching for Ratchet. "He should be here at any time, little one. That old Hatchet has a knack for getting distracted when he spots shiny things."

Will chuckled, "Karma's going to get you, 'Hide. Be lucky he wasn't here to hear that."

Ironhide grumbled something that strangely sounded like: "_Oh, I would say it if he was here anyways, moron._"

Again, the Major chuckled and Juliet gave a soft laugh. Maybe these two could be her friends, and she could feel a friendship already sprouting.

"Thank you for fixing me, Will," she beamed and suddenly hugged his neck. The soldier was taken a little by surprise, but smiled and patted the young girls' back. Ironhide caught glimpse of it and a very small smile curled the corner of his mouth. He could get used to that sparkling around here; he saw little enough of Annabelle as it was. If Will could keep this little one, he was sure that Will would be happier to come home rather than sulk after losing his wife. He could smile, coming home every day or returning to his quarters at base to a happy, black-haired Indian girl that wanted attention.

Suddenly, two headlights caught Ironhide's attention as he saw the yellow Hummer stop in the driveway. Leaving his post, Ironhide jogged over to the medic and came to his passenger door. "Activate your holoform, Ratchet."

After a few seconds, the medic retorted, "What, hasn't she seen _you_ yet, Ironhide?"

Ironhide's holoform rolled his eyes, "Of course she has. But I doubt you want to take out glass from her feet while you're in your bipedal mode, now activate that holoform!"

Ratchet grumbled and his holoform activated. Ironhide moved aside as he let the holoform come out of the vehicle. "You could just say please for once, Ironhide."

Ironhide crossed his arms over his chest, "Why should I?"

Ratchet half-smiled, "You get what you want easier." Leaving a quiet weapons specialist behind, Ratchet walked up to the Lennox house, knocked on the rim of the door, and let himself in. Ratchet's holoform had brownish-golden hair that was curly and untidy. He had hazel colored eyes and a pair of sideburns crawling down his jaw. He wore a simple white doctor's coat with a black shirt underneath, with dark brown slacks. Glasses rested at the tip of his nose and he smiled casually, nodding a greeting at Will. His hazel eyes drifted to the little girl, who was sitting on the white couch. Ratchet saw a tip of a band-aid on her elbow with the help of his un-human sight.

He came over to the two, kneeled down and let out a hand for Juliet to shake.

"Hello, little one, you must be Juliet," he smiled and she nodded. "I hear you're having some glass trouble? Let's take a look." Ratchet gently took the youngling's foot and examined it, seeing the shards of glass in her feet. "Well, this will be no problem to get out, Juliet," he smiled. "Do not worry; I'm a doctor and I promise it will not hurt a bit."

Ironhide could have laughed. Ratchet was anything but merciful, but Ironhide would love to see how he'd get that glass out without Juliet screaming in pain. Because everyone knew that when a doctor said that 'this won't hurt at all', that it meant 'it's going to hurt like hell, so get prepared'. Ironhide watched with interest, and his arms crossed his chest as he leaned against the doorframe.

Ratchet, having experience with Annabelle Lennox, dug into his doctor's coat and pulled out a cherry lolly-pop. He held it out to Juliet, who grabbed it with a little hesitation. She then unwrapped it and stuck it in her mouth, admiring the flavor.

Ironhide's jaw dropped as he saw Juliet extremely content with the sucker as Ratchet began to get the glass out with metallic tweezers. It didn't look like she felt, much less _cared_ that glass was sliding out of her feet. I guess Ratchet was right:

He could work miracles.

After a few moments, Ratchet was done with the extraction of the glass and cleaning out the wounds (which she whimpered a little when the alcohol entered her wounds, and Will had to calm her down by holding her hand) then began to wrap her feet in wrapping band-aids. When he was finished successfully, he gave the little Juliet a smile.

"There. All better. Now, you can walk on the balls of your feet, but it may hurt a bit for the rest of tonight and tomorrow. Do you know where the balls of your feet are?"

She shook her head. Ratchet held up her foot and tapped the end of her heel. She 'Oh'd' and Ratchet stood up, turning to Will.

"How long shall she be in your residence, William Lennox?" asked the medic.

Crossing his arms, Will told him; "I'll have to discuss that with you later, Ratchet. Now's not the time."

"I see," Ratchet nodded, and looked back to Juliet. "I hope to see you again, little one. Thank you for being such a wonderful patient."

Juliet smiled up at the doctor as she chewed on the paper stick of the lolly-pop, which left a red tinge on it.

"Thanks, Ratch'," Will thanked and shook his hand.

"No problems. Contact me tomorrow and we can discuss about our current adventure."

It took William a few seconds to realize that he meant Juliet. "Oh! Of course, I'll call you up tomorrow."

Ratchet nodded, and told the duo to have a nice night. When he walked past Ironhide, he whispered something and Ironhide rolled his bright blue eyes.

A yawn escaped Juliet's lips as she snuggled into the couch. Will then scooped her up. "C'mon, Juliet, let's get you upstairs." The soldier then escalated the stairs and down the hallway. Across from his room was a guest room, and Juliet would have to stay in there for now. Tucking her under the blanket and leaving the nightlight on, he saw that she was already fast asleep. He smiled sweetly and tucked a strand of smooth, black hair behind her ear. Then, Will quietly retired the room, leaving the oak door ajar and set back downstairs.

As soon as the major got downstairs, he saw Ironhide setting on the couch.

"Will," started Ironhide before Will could even get to the opposite side of the couch. "What are you going to do with the human sparkling?"

Will sighed as he plopped on the couch. "I'm not so sure yet, 'Hide…but I'm thinking about taking her in. I like her already. But, if her family from Idaho wants to take her, I'll have to let her go." Will shrugged. "Simple as that."

"Hmm. I've taken interest in Juliet as well. It was amazing to see Ratchet acting so…friendly to her," Ironhide remarked.

Will laughed, "He's that way to Annabelle too; he must have a weakness for little girls with blue eyes."

"Or just plain ol' femmes and sparklings."

Will shrugged at his guardian, "Guess so."

After a long moment of silence, Ironhide again asked a question.

"Will she be introduced to the Autobots?"

Will Lennox sighed, "I don't know. I hope so. She's already seen you, and she doesn't look like she's scared."

"The only ones she'd be scared of would be the twins," grumbled the holoform. "Don't let them have contact with her."

"Oooh, someone's being overprotective," chuckled Will.

The holoforms brows narrowed, "Are you saying you would _let _her spend time with those two?"

"Not at all. I find it pretty comical how you're already asking questions." He paused. "You want her to stay, huh? You won't admit it because I know you too well, and you know it's a weakness."

Ironhide turned his head to the side and his jaw tightened.

Will sighed, "Sorry, 'Hide. I didn't mean to offend you."

Almost immediately, Ironhide replied. "No, you're right. It is a weakness."

"And you still don't admit it," he smiled.

"I don't have to admit myself to you, William Lennox."

"Hey, you sleep in my garage. I have a right to know," Will grinned.

Ironhide rolled his bright blue eyes, but still didn't say anything.

Again, Will chuckled, "I'll see what I can do about Juliet, 'Hide."

* * *

><p>When Will woke up the next morning, he woke up to the doorbell ringing. Rubbing his eyes with his knuckles, he huffed, and climbed out of bed. He wore a simple white T and plaid pajama shorts. His black hair was messy and his eyes red from lack of sleep.<p>

Walking down the stairs, he went to the front door and opened it, to see Police officer Baker at his door.

"Mornin', Lennox," said Baker, handing him a simple slip of paper. "Here's the number for the family in Idaho for ya. How's the little one?"

Will yawned as he plucked the piece of paper from Baker's hand. "She's doin' fine. I had Ratchet take the glass out of her feet last night."

Baker pinched the bridge of his nose. "Will, you can't be introducing her to the Autobots if you don't even know if she'll be staying with you, and you know that. What if that Galloway guy finds out? You know that guy will make you get rid of her if he finds out she knows about the Autobots."

"Who said he'll find out?" asked the major. "Ratchet was in his holoform; so she never saw him fully standing in robot mode."

"But she's seen Ironhide," the officer pointed out.

Will nodded, "Yeah, I know. You want to come in? Best to get the call out of the way."

Thomas came in and sat at the counter across from Will. Will grabbed the portable phone and punched the numbers in.

It rang a few times, and when Will was about to hang up the phone-

"Hello, my name is Will Lennox, and I am calling to see if you've heard about Linda and James Everett? Yes…Yes, I'm calling to tell you that your niece is safe and well. Are there any family her other than…no? I'll be willing to pay for a ticket for her to fly there…sir…sir?"

The line went dead.

Baker tilted his head, "What happened?"

Will blinked a few times, then slowly looked up at the officer, "He said to leave her here."


End file.
